Unbroken & Fearless
by Selbyzipper
Summary: What if Ed didn't die at the quarry? What if he left Carol to die at the first sign of trouble? Can she learn to trust again? Can she learn to love again? What is Ed comes back to find her healthy, alive and kicking ass? **This will be a Caryl story soon!**
1. Chapter 1

AN: I wasn't planning on diving into a new WIP, but this idea wouldn't let me go. The chapters will get longer as we go along, this is just a bit of set up, and I have been practicing writing smut, so the rating will eventually change. So, that's something to look forward to.

I also want to take a moment to thank Willowfae82 for being my very first beta. Her thoughts helped motivate me to continue instead of scraping this.

General Disclaimer here. I own nothing more than some awesome memorabilia.

Also, reviews tend to push me toward writing more, so you should do that.

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Unbroken & Fearless:

The power had been flickering on and off for hours. When it was on Ed Peletier had the radio tuned attentively listening to programs dedicated to the ever worsening situation around the country, lists of local evacuation centers and eye witness accounts of the newly dead rising again to attack the living. When the power was off he yelled commands at his wife and daughter to pack. He wanted their bags, the camping gear, his MRE's, and his gun collection in the back of their Cherokee. The closest evac station was in Atlanta, a solid two hour drive without traffic.

He opened the garage door and surveyed the neighborhood. Most of his neighbors were packing up cars and trucks as well. Ed cackled as he lit a cigarette and watched a young family across the street packing large plastic toys for their kids in the back of their car. Ed looked back at his Jeep thinking about all the things that they would have to bring for Carol and Sophia. The bitch hadn't even gotten the kid packed yet. They were probably up in her room deciding what doll to take.

The more he thought about it the more Ed realized his lazy ass wife and good for nothing kid were going to be nothing more than a liability. Those two were going to get him killed.

Just then he saw old Mr. Henderson from down the street stumble toward the young couple across the street. Mr. Henderson had a dark blood stain all over his chest from a wound on his throat. His skin was more ashen than it should be and he was walking with a strange gait as though he had hurt his ankle but didn't care.

Ed watched as the old man's arms rose to grab at the wife, but her husband yelled and ran toward her swinging an iron putter at the old man. Mr. Henderson hit the ground and struggled to regain his footing. The husband checked over his wife, kissed her and ushered her into the car. He took another swing at the old man as he began to approach again, this time cracking across his jaw. Ed winced while watching the altercation, however he didn't lift a finger to help.

As the neighbor's car pulled out an idea cemented in Ed's mind. Carol and Sophia were going to bring him down. He would never survive if he had them in tow.

Glancing between the now moving old man across the street and the door leading back into the house, Ed began to form a plan.

He opened the back door to carol's beat up old Buick and began shifting things. He took Carol's bag out of his car and put it in hers. Then, feeling magnanimous, he parted with a few handfuls of MREs into a grocery bag along with six water bottles; and both her and Sophia's sleeping bags. Once that was all in he slammed the back door and opened the front, he slid his wedding band off of his finger and set it on her dashboard.

Once that was done he jumped into the Cherokee, turned it on and threw in into reverse before Carol or the kid could catch him. As he got to the street and switched gears into drive the door to the house opened and his wife stared at him in shock.

"Ed? ED?" She yelled out in fear. She took a few steps into the garage still staring at her husband, caught in the act of leaving her in the middle of the apocalypse. "Damn you Ed! Damn You!"

They both saw Mr. Henderson at the same time. His broken and obviously undead body moving across the street toward the noise Carol was making.

Ed looked away from her and drove off leaving her to possibly die at the hands of their neighbor.

Carol ran back to the door, slamming her hand on the button to shut the garage door. Nothing happened. The power must have blinked off again. Mr. Henderson was growling as he got further up the driveway. Carol ran to the center of the garage, under the motor that opened the door. There was a small red handle hanging down. She had to hop slightly to reach it, but as soon as she pulled it the heavy door slammed shut.

She and her daughter would be safe for a little while longer.

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AN: Reviews Welcome!


	2. Chapter 2

BASIC DISCLAIMER OF NON-OWNERSHIP

Unbroken & Fearless Ch.2

Carol and Sophia sat quietly in the dark of the powerless garage in the front seats of the old Buick listening to their neighbor growl and scratch at the large door. Once Ed had left them they had ransacked their home looking for items that might still be useful. Most of food had been packed into Ed's Cherokee, but there were still some cans, jars and dried pasta that Carol had left behind for when she expected to come home. They gathered the blankets and sheets from the beds, her cast iron cook wear and a few cooking utensils, all loaded into the backseat of the Buick and waiting for escape.

After packing the car and re-hooking the garage door they waited for the power to blink back on. The garage door was too heavy for them to open without the power and Carol wasn't confident she could get the door open and back to the car quick enough to not meet Mr. Henderson face to face. And so they waited.

Sophia shifted in her seat to look at her mother when she whispered, "Mom, where are we going to go?"

"Atlanta. You heard the radio." Carol whispered back.

"But, won't Daddy be there too?"

"Maybe, maybe not. He could have gone north to Chattanooga, or maybe that military base" Carol reasoned.

"I hope so. I don't want to see him ever again." Sophia scowled.

"Don't say that about your daddy." Carol looked away from Sophia to hide the slight misty feeling coming over her.

"He left us. I don't care that he is my daddy, he's a jerk." she stated proudly, as though it was a new thought and not something she thought every single time she saw what he did to her mother.

"Baby, its complicated..." Carol trailed off trying to think of a way to explain Ed's actions to Sophia. "Power! Hit the button!" her thoughts interrupted by the flickering of the light on the garage door motor.

Sophia pressed the button on the remote and the door began its slow ascent. Carol had the car started, windows rolled up and doors locked ready to peel out as soon as the door was up enough for them to clear. Seconds seemed to slow as they watched the door rise.

A pale hand and tan jacketed arm shot threw the opening near the ground and Carol realized that the monster that used to be Mr. Henderson, the nice neighbor who would offer them sweet tea when gardening in the front yard, was on the ground pressing what was left of his body under the door toward them.

"Sophia. Either look at me or close your eyes. Cover your ears." Carol's eyes shot over to asses if her car would fit out yet, then back to Sophia. "DO IT NOW." She shouted as she watched Mr. Henderson stand and stagger in their direction.

Sophia curled her legs up and buried her face in her knees with her hand clamped tightly over her ears. Carol pressed down the accelerator the moment the opening was tall enough for their car. They sped down the driveway, turning sharply onto the street leaving the old man in the garage.

"Its ok now baby, it ok" Carol reached over and ran her hand over Sophia's back in a soothing manner.

She lifted her head, "Who was that?".

"No one. Don't think about it. We should be near the safe zone in an hour or so. Want to play the license plate game?"

With her knees still pulled up Sophia turned her face to rest her cheek on her knee and watch her mother, "I don't think I've ever heard you yell like that."

"What? I've yelled before." Carol smiled. "Remember when you climbed that rotten tree in the back yard?"

"Yeah... But it was different this time. That time was just 'get down before your daddy sees you' this time was looouuuuud." Sophia grinned imitating her mother's stern voice.

"Oh hush! It wasn't that bad." Carol turned slowly on to the south bound highway, crawling into the already clogging traffic. "Look, on that green truck! North Carolina. I'm winning."

"Mom, I have to pee... How much longer do you think until we get there?" Sophia danced in her seat a little.

Surveying the brake lights and parked cars in front of them she shook her head, "I don't know honey. I'm going to get out a look in the trunk, maybe we have a bucket back there."

"Ew! I'm not peeing in a bucket!"

"Well, you could always pee your pants, but what if there are cute boys at the safe zone, do you want to be Pee-Pee Pants McGee?" Carol grinned at her.

"Fine... but hurry. What if one of those things is out there?" Sophia stilled and asked quietly.

"There is a Sheriff's truck right next too us, they'll watch out. Its their job."  
Carol pointed to the tan SUV in the left lane.

"Well, ask them first ok? Make sure they know to watch for you. Please?" Sophia pleaded.

Pushing the button to pop the trunk open, then checking to make sure the car was in park, Carol quickly stepped out of the Buick. Taking two fast strides over to the Sheriff's vehicle she tapped on the passenger side window.

A woman with long brown hair cracked the window an inch, "Can I help you?" her voice was slightly strained.

"Hi, I'm Carol Pel... Burke. I'm alone with my daughter, and to make a long story short, I need to check my trunk, and I don't want her to worry, I was hoping you could just keep an eye out for me? Watch my back for a moment? With everything going on, with this virus, the traffic jam and everything... We are just a little spooked, you know?" Carol rattled off her request consciously using her maiden name.

"Shane? Can you help her?" the woman turned to the man in the driver seat who nodded his response and started out of their car, then back to Carol, "I'm Lori Grimes and this my son Carl. Our friend Shane is going to come around and help you out. It's really no problem."

"Oh, Thank you so much! If there is anything I can do to repay you, please let me know, We're over in that Buick right there." she pointed and waved to Sophia.

"We'll let you know, thanks" Lori smiled her voice calmer.

"Mom! Ask if she has anything to eat! I'm starving back here!" the boy in the back seat commented.

Before Lori could shut him down Carol spoke up, "I cleared out my whole pantry, what are you in the mood for bud? Granola bar? Fruit snacks? We even have some PB&Js in the cooler. You name it, its yours." Carol was happy to helpful.

"Is a sandwich and granola too much?" Carl asked his mom.

"A granola bar is fine" Lori told Carol,"I don't want to take all of your food."

"Its no problem! Don't worry about it. Honestly, I am happy to help out."

A good looking man came around the car dressed in a full deputy uniform. He tipped his head to her, "Shane Walsh, how can I help?"

"Just watch my back for a moment?" Carol waved at Lori and Carl then lead the way to the back of her Buick.

After rifling through the things in the trunk she found a pink sand pail from the last time they went to the man made lake in the park near their house. She slammed the trunk down, walked around to the side of the car with Shan shadowing her slightly. "A bucket?"

"When a girl's gotta go, a girl's gotta go." She opened the back door, quietly handed the bucket up to Sophia followed by a bath towel "Put that over your lap when you go, knock on the window when I can come back in." she whispered. Quickly she then opened the cooler, grabbed half of the eight sandwiches from the bottom, a couple of sodas, then added them to a grocery bag with an opened bag of potato chip and a fist full of granola bars. She shut the door and stood between Shane and the window.

Carol handed the full bag to Shane who gave her a questioning look. "For helping me out. Dinner's on me." She smiled and leaned against the driver side door.

"Its no problem, really." Shane shook his head.

"You didn't have to help us, but you did. I don't have to feed you, but I will."

Shane chuckled slightly, "Alright then, I guess I won't be turning you down then."

"Let Carl know, we have a few card games and some puzzle books in here if he is bored. We're all going to the same place, right?" Carol offered.

"Yeah, I'll let'em know. I'll let you know if we hear anything useful over the scanner."

"Thanks again." they were interrupted by a knocking on the window behind Carol.

Shane nodded and headed back to his SUV. Carol slipped back into the car, "Just crack your door and dump it on the ground"

"Ew. This is so gross." Sophia complained.

"You feel better, right?"

"Yeah..." Sophia trailed off. "But you gave him a bunch of our food."

"No. I gave a hungry family some of our food. They helped us for no reason, and I wanted to thank them. And as long as we have something to spare, we help. Its simple." Carol stated with resolve.

"Daddy would have flipped out." Sophia noted.

"Well, Daddy is gone, he doesn't get to tell us what to do anymore." Carol let a small sigh slip out with that thought. Ed was gone, and she was ok with that.

**Reviews are wonderful things to give...


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